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Unexpected toys

Somtimes we buy expencive toys, but children don't play them or play only for 15 minutes.
And sometimes paper box from this toy attracts more than the toy . So what are favorite toys of your kids that initially were not a toy, but settled in your home for a long time?

This thread made me smile. I can certainly relate to this! Some of the more expensive toys myself and my husband have brought our children have not held their interest, whereas they often play for hours with free household objects.

I have found that children of around 2 years and older like to play 'make believe' or 'pretend play'. This is actually an important part of their development. This means that any 'toys' which allow children to copy jobs that the adults do are likely to be popular. My children (aged 2.5 years and 9 months) like to play with Tupperware boxes from my kitchen as well as plastic spoons and pretend they are cooking. One of my eldest's favourite games at the moment is to play shops. This simply involves pretending to buy household objects across a table and taking it in turns to be the customer and shop keeper. Ultimately, he is practicing functioning in the real-world and he enjoys copying what he sees his mum and dad doing.

Indeed, I believe that if you give children your full attention then any game will be stimulating, fun and worth-while for them. My son has learnt to count to 10 and we have made up games where he jumps around the room pointing to objects and counting to 10.

How old are your children and what are their favourite games at the moment?